The Dark Knight
by Enterprise-A
Summary: The told me there was nothing to fear. But the night Cedric was murdered, I caught a glimps of something. Something hidden in the darkness. Something terrifying. Something that won't stop until it has it's revenge. Me. PLEASE READ NOTICE IN PROFILE
1. Prologue: More than Just a Man

**The Dark Knight**

(Disclaimer: Batman is owned by DC Comics, and Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling.)

In the town of Little Whinging, the many lights of the stores, streets and homes were all off, and everything seemed as if everything was in a pitch black blanket. Everywhere but one room, in one house, that is. In one of the 2nd floor rooms in Number 4, Privet Drive, Harry Potter was still wide awake, and was packing his possessions into a large trunk at the foot of his bed. His owl, Hedwig, was in her cage, staring at her master sadly and hooted quietly.

"I know you want to come, Hedwig," said Harry, "but I can't have you with me where I'm going. You'll be able to enjoy yourself at Ron's."

Hedwig just hooted once more and Harry let her out of the cage.

"Think you can carry your cage and this letter, Hedwig?" Harry asked.

Hedwig puffed up her chest indignantly, as Harry attached the cage and letter to her leg.

The letter was for Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore, so they knew they wouldn't see him until the end of summer. Then she turned around, and flew steadily, but slowly, out of sight.

Harry, who had finished packing, quickly wrote a note to the Dursleys telling them they wouldn't see him until next summer. He brought his trunk downstairs as quietly as possible, and went outside.

At the street, Harry raised his wand, and waited. About one second later, a large purple bus appeared in front of him with a loud bang. Stan, the conductor, got out of the bus and said, "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency- Oh! 'Ello there 'Arry. Where to? London?"

"Yeah, Stan," Harry said as he gave Stan some silver sickles. He clambered aboard and took a bed. As soon as he was settled, he heard Stan say, "Take 'Er away, Ern," and the Knight Bus sped off.

(-V-)

Once in London, Harry got off the bus, said his farewell to Ernie and Stan, and headed into the Leaky Cauldron. He walked straight through the bar, and into the alley in the back. After he went through the archway, he headed towards Gringotts. Harry noticed that almost all of the stores were still open. He decided to stop at some on his way back.

He entered Gringotts and went up to the front desk. "Excuse me," he asked, "is there a way to access the money in my account without having to come here personally?"

The goblin turned around, stared at Harry's forehead for a fraction of a second, and then said, "We have two options; one, is a money bag that always refills itself, and the other something like a muggle credit card."

"I'll take the credit card," Harry said at once.

"We will take 10 galleons out of your account to cover expenses, Mr. Potter. Some useful information about the cards is that it will work for you, and you alone. It also can only access your vault. May I inquire why you will need this?"

"I plan on traveling out of country for a month or two. Thank you for your time, sir," said Harry respectfully, before he turned and walked out.

The first store he stopped at was a trunk store, where he bought a goblin charmed bag; a bag that you could stuff an almost infinite amount of items in. He then went to the apothecary to buy potion supplies, and Flourish and Blotts for some books. When he was done shopping, he left the alley, and disappeared into the night.

(-V-)

_Two Weeks Later_

Harry walking down an alley, on a cold summers eve. As he walked, he got the feeling that he was being followed. He quickly turned around, only to find no one there. Almost instantaneously, a group of wizards in black cloaks and skeletal masks appeared, and fired many green and red curses. Harry quickly moved out of the way, grabbed a nearby trash can lid, and threw it at the men. The man closest to Harry, blocked the lid easily, but the second it took for the men to block the lid, was all it took for Harry to whip out his wand and yell, _"Stupefy!"_ The closest man fell in a crumpled heap on the ground. Harry quickly fired another spell at another Death Eater, only to have it rebound back at him. Harry quickly dodged the spell, and fired a disarming charm at the closest Death Eater. The man's wand flew out of his hand and landed on the ground. Harry stunned the man and kicked another Death Eater in the crotch. The man doubled over in pain, and Harry subdued another man with a Full Body Bind. He then fired an avis spell, and followed it with an _"Oppungo"_ curse. He subdued the last one with a swift kick in the crotch and a stunning spell.

Harry quickly left the alley, but no sooner than he had turned the nearest corner, a voice said, "Are you so desperate to fight the Death Eaters that you will travel the world to take them on one at a time?"

"Actually, I counted seven of them," Harry said curtly.

"I counted six, Mr. Potter," said the voice.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to see a man in his mid forties, with a graying beard, and short brown and gray hair. "How do you know my name?" Harry asked the man.

"The world is too small for a person of your, shall we say, fame to disappear completely, however low you choose to sink," said the man.

"Who are you?" Harry asked.

"My name is merely Ducard, but I speak for Ra's Al Ghul, a man greatly feared by Voldemort and his followers; a man who can offer you a path," Ducard said.

"What makes you think I need a path?" Harry asked.

"Someone like you is only here by choice and whatever your original intentions, you have become truly lost," Ducard said.

"And what path can Ra's Al Ghul offer?" Harry said skeptically

"The path of a man who shares his hatred of evil, and wishes to serve true justice. The path of the League of Shadows," Ducard said.

Harry smiled a bit and said, "You're vigilantes."

Ducard shook his head. "No no no. A vigilante is a man lost and scrambled for his own gratification; he can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you. . . you become something else entirely."

"Which is?"

"Legend, Mr. Potter," Ducard said with a small smile. "If you are tired of fighting this powerless scum, there is a rare blue flower that grows on the eastern slopes of those mountains," said Ducard pointing over Harry's shoulder. "Pick one of these flowers. If you can carry it to the top of the mountain, you may find what you were looking for in the first place."

"And that is?" Harry asked.

"Only you can know that," Ducard said as he turned and left Harry alone in the night.

To Be Continued. . .

_(A/N: Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while, but I've been reading so many other stories on the site, that I've been preoccupied. I also have been having a brain fart, so I might not update again for a while. Any suggestions, please tell me.)_

_(PS: I know that most of the stuff at the end is from Batman Begins, but as I said, I've been having a brain fart.)_


	2. The Training Begins

**Chapter One: The Training Begins**

(Disclaimer: See Chapter One)

Harry stood next to the slope of the mountainside, and bent down. When he rose, in his hand was a small, blue flower, which he stuffed into the pocket of his robes. He then started the long climb to the top of the mountain.

About halfway up, he arrived at a small village. Even though it was cold outside, there were still children outside playing. One man came out and took his child inside, but not before telling Harry, "Turn back. You turn back."

Harry continued up the mountain for another two hours. He looked up and saw a large temple that looked as though it had been built to fit into the rocks. Harry dragged himself to the front door and knocked.

Two seconds later, the door opened and Harry staggered inside. He was in a large room filled with spires, and was staring at a man in a throne, similar to Dumbledore's. He was bald, and had a long, thin beard and wore long purple robes. "Ra's Al Ghul?" Harry asked uncertainly.

As soon as he said this, he heard the door slam shut. He turned to see a man in black armor putting a board into the slot to lock the door. All around him, men appeared in the same black armor, each with a look of hostility on there faces.

"Wait," said a voice Harry recognized as Ducard.

Ra's Al Ghul spoke in a foreign language Harry didn't know. Ducard than translated for Harry. "What do you seek?"

"I seek . . . the means to fight injustice; to be able to turn fear against those who prey the fearful," Harry said. Ducard walked over and Harry gave him the blue flower, with trembling hands. Ducard took the flower, and showed it to Ra's, who said something else in that same language.

"To manipulate the fears of others, you must first master your own. Are you ready to begin?" Ducard asked while staring Harry in the eyes.

"I can . . . I can barely stand," Harry managed to say.

"Death does not wait for you to be ready!" Ducard said as he kicked Harry in the stomach. "Death is not considerate, nor fair!" said he as he kicked Harry who was lying on the ground.

"And make no mistake, here you face death!" Ducard said as he threw a kick at Harry who had stood up, but this time Harry was ready. He grabbed the incoming foot and threw it away from him.

"Tiger," Ducard said. Harry threw a punch at him, and Ducard grabbed the punch and twisted the hand. "Jujitsu," he said as he threw Harry away. "Panther," said he as Harry threw kick after kick, and punch after punch, each of which Ducard blocked until he knocked Harry to the ground.

He flipped over Harry with his foot and said, "You are afraid, but not of me. Tell us, Mr. Potter, what do you fear?" as he put the flower in the pocket of Harry's robes.

(-V-)

_He was in the graveyard. He saw Cedric standing over the Triwizard Cup, and examining it. He saw Wormtail come out of the shadows, with Lord Voldemort in his arms. He saw Cedric die in the brilliant flash of green light. He saw Lord Voldemort rise again._

"_Harry Potter."_

(-V-)

"Do you still feel responsible for his death?" Ducard asked. He and Harry were standing on the balcony, looking at the mountain landscape below.

"My anger out ways my guilt," Harry said not looking at Ducard.

"Come," said the older man, taking Harry by the shoulder and leading him inside. "You have learned to bury your guilt with anger. I will teach you to confront it and to face the truth. You can fight six men. We can teach you to fight six hundred. You know how to disappear. We can teach you to become truly invisible."

"Invisible?" Harry asked.

"Avi!" Ducard said and two men came down from the ceiling. "A ninja understands that invisibility is a matter of patients and agility.

"Ninjitsu employs explosive powders," said Ducard.

"As weapons?" Harry asked.

"Or as detractions. Theatricality and deception are powerful agents. You must become more than just a man in the mind of your opponent," said Ducard as Harry threw some to the ground which exploded in a quick flash of light.

Soon Harry found himself on very high bars, blocking incoming strikes from the men around him. After on very nasty hit, he came down and balanced his on his hands and feet on the bars, while Ducard looked onward.

When he had finished, he put on his cloak and saw a man in a bamboo cage being walked off through the compound. "Who is he?" Harry asked.

"He was a farmer. He tried to steal his neighbor's land and became a murderer," was the reply.

"What will happen to him?" Harry asked, concerned for the life of the man.

"Justice. Crime cannot be tolerated. Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society's understanding," Ducard answered.

(-V-)

Harry and Ducard were standing on a frozen lake, in front of a large cave. Each had a sword and a pair of spiked gauntlets. Harry swung his sword a few times and attacked. Ducard quickly blocked each attack before pushing Harry hard enough that he slid backwards onto his back. "Always mind your surroundings," Ducard chided.

This time, Ducard swung and Harry had to duck to avoid the blade. He quickly swung twice at Ducard who blocked the first, and ducked the second. He then turned and started to walk away. "Cedric's death was not your fault," Ducard said unexpectedly. He turned and blocked Harry's strikes, with his sword and gauntlet, until he caught Harry's sword in the gauntlet's spikes. Harry tried to free the sword, but to no avail. "It was his own."

Harry stared in shock at Ducard, and lost his sword whilst he stared at him. Ducard took the opportunity to strike, but Harry blocked the sword with his gauntlet. He continued to block the sword and push Ducard back, until Ducard kneed Harry and pushed him back. He quickly got to his feet and attempted to hit Ducard with the spikes on his gauntlet, when Ducard grabbed Harry's hand and flipped him over.

"Anger does not change the fact that Cedric failed to act," Ducard said.

"The man used the killing curse," Harry said venomously.

"Would that stop you?"

"I've had training," Harry said angrily.

"The training, is nothing!" Ducard said as he swung fiercely at Harry. "The will is everything." Ducard struck at Harry and then punched him in the face, throwing him backwards. "The will to act."

Harry ran at Ducard, and rolled as he swung at him, picking up his discarded sword. He kicked Ducard's knee, and hit him with enough force to knock him down. Harry pointed his sword at Ducard's neck and said, "Yield."

"You haven't beaten me. You've sacrificed sure footing for the killing stroke," said Ducard as he hit the ground with his sword, and broke the ice that Harry was standing on. Harry fell with a crash into the freezing water.

(-V-)

"Rub your chest. Your arms will take care of themselves," Ducard said. They were sitting next to a small fire, and Harry was rapped in a warm, wool blanket. Harry removed his hands from his arms, and started to rub his chest. "You are stronger than Cedric," Ducard commented quietly.

"You didn't know him," Harry said angrily.

"But I know the rage that drives you; the impossible anger, strengthening the grief, until the memory of your friends and loved ones is just poison in your veins. And one day you catch yourself wishing the person you loved never existed, so you'd be spared your pain." Harry stared at Ducard sadly, and he said, "I wasn't always up here in the mountains, you know. Once I had a wife and daughter; my great loves. They were . . . taken from me. Like you, I was forced to learn there are those without decency who need to be fought without hesitation, without pity. Your anger gives you great power, but if you let it, it will destroy you, as it almost did me."

"What stopped it?" Harry asked.

"Vengeance."

"That's no help to me," Harry said sadly.

"Why Harry? Why can you not avenge Cedric?" Ducard asked.

"I need to leave Wormtail alive to clear Sirius's name."

"But what about Voldemort, Harry? Can't you kill him and bring him to justice?" Harry thought about this for a second and nodded.

(-V-)

Days past. Day after day of nonstop training made Harry into a formidable opponent. The training not only consisted on physical exercise, but also mental and magical. During the three weeks of training, he learned and mastered the art of Occlumencey, and it's opposite, Legilimency. He also learned a variety of different spells, and the art of wandless magic.

Physically, he had grown an inch taller. All of his baby fat had been replaced by muscle, and his hair was messier than ever.

"You traveled the world, searching for the reason the Dark Lord did these terrible thing. You searched for what turned him into what he is today. You went out to conquer your fears. But he, and his Death Eaters, are not complicated, and what you really fear is yourself. You fear your own power. You fear your anger, the drive to do great, or terrible things. Now, you must journey inwards. You are ready." Ducard said this whilst he crushed the blue flower, and put it in a cup of boiling water. He handed it to Harry and said, "Breathe."

Harry raised the bowl to his face and breathed in the fumes. "Breathe" Ducard said again, slowly. Harry took a very deep breath and felt the effect of the fumes immediately. He saw, for a quick second, a giant hooded dementor.

"To conquer fear, you must become fear and bask in the fear of other men. And men fear most what they cannot see," Ducard said as he stepped back, put on a mask that covered everything except his eyes and hid in the crowd of ninjas. Harry, who was slipping his mask on slower than Ducard, didn't see where Ducard went. He walked into the crowed and started looking. Each man looked slightly distorted, with glowing blue eyes.

"You must become a terrible thought," Harry heard Ducard's voice say. "A wraith." At this, the ninjas turned to the center, and drew their swords. Harry walked slowly down the isle way of men in front of him, until Ducard yelled, "You must become an idea!" and jumped at Harry who blocked Ducard's sword.. Ducard quickly got back into the crowd and they turned into another direction.

"Feel terror cloud your senses. Feel it's power to distort, to control," Ducard said as Harry searched for him. The ninja turned once again and blocked Harry's path. "Know that this power can be yours."

Ducard jumped onto him again, and quickly sliced at him a few times before hiding once again. The ninja turned into two lines of ninja, and at the end of the isle way, was a large crate. Harry walked slowly towards the box as Ducard said, "Embrace your worst fear. Become one with the darkness."

Harry lifted the lid of the box, and out of it flew a large, hooded, dementor. Harry ducked, grabbed his wand and yelled, _"Expecto Patronum!" _The silver stag erupted from his wand, and flew at the dementor, but passed straight through it. Harry stared at the dementor for a split second, then realized it had been a clever illusion.

"Focus. Master your senses," Ducard said before he attacked Harry once more. This time Harry wasn't ready and Ducard gave Harry a cut on the arm. Ducard than hid himself in the sea of men once more. Harry looked at the cut on his arm, and suddenly got an idea. He walked down the isle and sliced the arms of two ninjas.

Ducard was walking two isles away. He looked at the closest ninja and saw a cut on his arm. He walked passed, and then quickly turned, removed his mask, and put his blade to the ninjas throat. "You cannot leave any signs," he chided the ninja.

"I haven't," said a voice behind him and he felt a blade on his neck.

Harry looked up and saw Ra's Al Ghul staring down from the upper floor applauding. "Impressive!" he said with a small smile, before starting down the stairs.

(-V-)

Ra's was standing in front of a bowl of burning coals. Across from him were Harry and Ducard. He said something in the foreign language Harry knew from his first day here. "We have purged your fear. You are ready to lead these men. You are ready to become a member of the League of Shadows. But first you must demonstrate your commitment to justice. Po voi!" Ducard said, and one of the ninjas brought out the farmer Harry had seen before. Ducard held out a sword to Harry. Harry looked at the sword, then at Ducard.

"No. I'm no executioner," Harry.

"Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share," Ducard said.

"That's why it's so important,"said Harry. "It separates us from them."

"You wanted to fight criminals; this man is a murderer!"

"This man should be tried."

"By whom, corrupt bureaucrats?" Ducard asked. "Criminals mock societies laws. You know this better than most."

"You cannot lead these men," Ra's said unexpectedly, "unless you are prepared to do what is necessary to defeat evil."

"And where would I be leading these men?" Harry asked.

"Hogwarts. As Dumbledore's favored son, you will be ideally placed to strike at the heart of all criminality, with the help of our other agent" Ra's said.

"How?"

"Hogwart's time has come. Like the Salem academy and the Durmstrang Institute before it, the school has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die. This is the most important function of the league of shadows. It is one we have performed for centuries. Hogwarts . . . must be destroyed," said Ra's.

"You can't believe in this!" Harry said to Ducard.

"Ra's Al Ghul rescued us from the darkest corners of our own hearts. What he asks in return in the courage to do what is necessary,"

"I will go back to England and I will fight men like this, but I will not become an executioner," Harry said firmly.

"Harry please. For your own sake, there is no turning back," said Ducard with an almost pleading note in his voice.

Harry sighed and took the sword. He put it up to the man's neck. The man looked at Harry with a mixture of fear and pleading in his eyes. Harry raised the sword and swung down. It went into the pot of coals and under the hot poker. Harry quickly brought the sword up and threw the poker over his head, which lit the explosive powder in the balcony.

"What are you doing?!" Ducard asked angrily.

"What's necessary my friend," Harry said before he punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. Ra's took the sword from the ninja who brought the man and attacked Harry. At that precise moment, the powder exploded in a burst of flame. Ra's continued to slice at Harry, forcing him onto the bridge behind him. The many ninjas in the temple were running for their lives to the exits. The ones who had wands quickly apparated away.

Harry was getting tired, and was being forced farther back on the bridge. Harry started swiping at every possible weak spot on the man. He continually blocked Harry's attacks, so he started to try to push Ra's back. Then he went in for a stab and Ra's spun around to attack Harry when an explosion behind them blasted them forward. Harry managed to roll out of Ra's' grip and got out of the way when a section of the ceiling fell on Ra's, who was crushed. Harry ran over to Ducard, and dragged him out of the burning building. Before he could get out, however, a part of the dynamite that had stored for his trip back to Hogwarts exploded and he and Ducard were thrown out of the side of the burning building. Harry managed to stop, but Ducard, contined to slide down the mountain. Then he remembered his bag, and whipped out his wand and yelled, _"Accio, bag!"_ The bag flew towards him and he quickly opened the bag, to pull out his Firebolt. Quickly jumping on, he flew towards Ducard who was still going down the hill. Letting go of the broom, Harry reached for Ducard and pulled him onto the broom. He then proceeded to fly towards the little village he had passed earlier.

(-V-)

In the village, Harry brought Ducard to the healer. "I'll tell him you saved his life," the healer told him.

"Thank you," said Harry giving Ducard and the healer each small bows before going out to the path. Once out of sight of the village, he got out his Firebolt, and flew towards England.

To Be Continued . . .

_(A/N: I know this is an almost exact replica of Batman Begins, but it is a really good beginning, I had to use it. Once Harry is back in England, the story will be more original._

_Brad: I know that the situation is different for both of them, but the only person Harry ever killed in the books was Voldemort, so I'm going to do that here. (If you want to see a good "Killer Harry" story, read "Old Soldiers Never Die" by Rorschach's Blot)._


	3. Batman Begins

**Chapter Two: Batman Begins**

(Disclaimer: See chapter one.)

As Harry flew through the dark night sky, he thought of the days to come. He knew that there was still the threat of the League of Shadows. Even though their leader and base of operations were destroyed, Harry remembered the mention of another member at Hogwarts.

It took Harry a few hours of nonstop, top speed flying to reach Iran. Harry landed in the outskirts of a small town. He stayed in a small warehouse for a day, and then took flight once again. After about eight more hours, he arrived in France. Once again, he found a small warehouse to hide in for the night. He finally reached England the next day.

Harry decided to head towards Hogwarts. He had done it once before, so he partially knew the way. It took him about an hour to arrive at the large castle. He gracefully landed on the Astronomy Tower, and headed for the Headmaster's office. Once or twice he had to hide in the shadows from a coming teacher, but the trip was mostly uneventful.

When he arrived at the large stone gargoyle, he began to name sweets at random. After about five minutes, he gave it one last try. "Cockroach Clusters?" Harry asked hopefully. The gargoyle jumped to the side, and Harry walked up the stairs that were rising from behind it. He walked up to the brass door knocker, and gave it a few sharp clicks.

"Come in," Dumbledore said.

Harry walked inside, and the Headmaster did a double take. "Harry?" was all he said.

"Hi, professor."

It took Dumbledore's brain to process the images his eyes were projecting. "Where have you been for these last few months, Harry?" Dumbledore asked quietly, his eyes still wide with shock.

"I've been out of the country taking out Voldemort's supporters. I stayed in a Chinese temple and trained with the resident ninja," Harry said. "If you want to see it, go ahead and look through my head."

Dumbledore obliged, and Harry felt a small push on his Occlumency shields, which he quickly lowered. He suddenly felt a foreign presence searching his thoughts and memories. After Dumbledore had seen the last of the desired memories, Dumbledore sat back in his chair, and stared into space. When he looked at Harry again, his eyes were once again twinkling.

"Well, I think it's about time we went to your godfathers house. After all, he's been the one in charge of the search for you. Just remember, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number 12, Grimauld Place," he said as he stood up, and pointed his wand at a copper teapot. "Portus," Dumbledore said. The teapot glowed blue for a second, before dimming.

"I'm sure you know how to use a portkey, Harry, so on three," Dumbledore said, and Harry quickly put his hand on the teapot. "Oh, before I forget, here is your school letter, and supply list." Dumbledore quickly gave Harry a small letter, which Harry quickly stuffed in his pocket. "One, two, three," were the last things Harry heard until he felt the familiar sensation of being dragged forward form the navel.

(-V-)

After spinning for a few seconds, he found himself in a dark room, with a large table and an assortment of pots and pans. At the head of the table, sat a man with shaggy black hair, which was a little bit matted, but not as bad as when Harry last saw him. He was a little less gaunt than the last he had seen him, but still wasn't as handsome as he had been.

When Sirius saw Harry, he jumped out of his chair and pointed his wand at Harry. "What form does your patronous take?" he asked.

"A stag," Harry said automatically.

At this, Sirius put his wand away, and grabbed Harry in a fierce hug. Harry managed to struggle out of his mouth, "Sirius. . .air. . .breath!" Sirius quickly let go of Harry.

"Where have you been?! We've been searching for a month!" Sirius nearly shouted.

"I've been in China," Harry said simply. "Besides searching for me, what have all of you been doing? Are Ron and Hermione here?"

"Well, we've been recruiting for the Order, but not a lot of success there," Sirius said.

"Would someone please tell me what the Order of the Phoenix is?"

"Well Harry," Sirius said, "it's a secret organization that Dumbledore created to fight Voldemort last time. In my personal opinion though, we haven't done a lot of good yet. Dumbledore's been trying to persuade the Ministry that Voldemort is back, but they are still calling him crazy. He's been kicked off the Wizengamot, and there's been talk of taking away his Order of Merlin, 1st class too."

"No!" Harry said, shocked that the Ministry would go so far to deny the fact that Voldemort was back.

"Afraid so kid. Well, lets go upstairs. Hermione and Ron are here, and they should be in their room," Sirius said as they headed up the stairs.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"They've been attempting to sneak out every day since you disappeared," Sirius explained. "It's been murder trying to keep them in the house. Molly had to go as far as confiscating their wands, along with Fred, George, and Ginny's."

"All of the Weasleys are here?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Well, all of them except Bill, Charlie, and Percy," said Sirius. The two of them had reached the second landing. Pointing at a dusty doorknob, Sirius said, "They're in here. Can you hide yourself? I want to make this a surprise."

"Sure," said Harry a small smirk on his face.

Sirius returned the smirk, then opened the door. Inside, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George were sitting on the bed in a whispered conversation. As soon as Sirius entered, the conversations came to an abrupt halt. "Hi, Sirius," Ron said, a little stiffly.

"Hello, kids," Sirius replied. "What're ya doing in here?"

"Talking," they chorused innocently.

"Come on, you can tell me. Harry's been itching to know what's going on, so I'll start with you five," Sirius said.

"What?!" they yelled.

"When did he get here?!"

"Where is he?!"

"Where's he been all this time?"

"Hold on, hold on. You'll be able to find out in a second," Sirius said smiling. "You could call him right now if you like."

Hermione was already doing just that. "Harry? Harry where are you?"

Just then, she heard a voice barely above a whisper say, "Here."

Every one of them, Sirius included, jumped a foot in the air as Harry jumped down from the ceiling, and stood smiling at them.

"Harry!" For a couple of seconds, all he could see was a lot of bushy brown hair; Hermione had thrown herself onto him. "Where have you been? We've been waiting for months!"

"I was training with the League of Shadows in China." At these words, Sirius stiffened, but kept silent. Harry saw this, but just stored this information for a later time. Ron had started to speak.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?" he was asking Harry.

"It's easy. Just hide in the rafters," was the reply.

". . ." The silence that followed was more than a little unnerving.

"Look, do you want me to show you?" Harry asked, a little more than annoyed by the silence. After he received a nod in response, he jumped. He quickly grabbed a bar, and balanced himself upside down, all the while keeping completely silent. The others stared up at him in complete silence.

"That was bloody brilliant Harry!" Ron said, still in shock.

Harry quickly got down, and said, "You haven't seen the half of it," with a small smirk on his face. He quickly disappeared again, only to reappear behind Sirius, with the man's wand in his hand, which he quickly returned.

Dropping to their knees, the twins begged, "Can you please-"

"Teach us-"

"Everything you know?" they said in unison.

"These would help us torture Snape this year!" Fred said.

Harry thought a moment. "Only if the rest of you and Sirius come to, never question anything I do, and **don't tell anyone**," he said, emphasizing his last statement.

"Alright," everyone said in unison, except Sirius.

"What about you, Sirius?" Harry asked.

"Well, I've heard of the League, and I don't like their methods all that much," was the reply Harry received.

"I don't much like them either, as I was forced to destroy their headquarters when I left, but some of their training methods are pretty handy," Harry argued.

"Well, when you put it that way. . ."

"Alright. Is there anywhere in this house like a room of requirement?" Harry asked Sirius.

"How do you know about-"

"I'll explain later."

"There's one near my old room," Sirius said.

"Lead the way," Harry said.

They went up to the third landing, and Sirius led them to another old door, and pointed to the wall next to it. "Right here," he said.

Harry shut his eyes and walked past the spot three times thinking, _"I need a place to train my six closest friends like me."_ Suddenly Hermione let out a squeak of surprise as a door appeared between Sirius room and the door next door. The seven of them walked inside, and Harry found himself on a very familiar mountainside.

He saw the flowers and pointed at them and said, "Carry these to the top of the mountain, and you will find what you seek," echoing the words of his teacher. "Leave your wands at the table," Harry said, pointing at the table that appeared next to the flowers, "and I will meet you there." He then disappeared from their view. He found himself inside the temple he had been staying at recently until it's destruction a few days ago. He sat himself at the high chair, and waited.

(-V-)

After waiting what seemed hours, the doors opened, and the other six walked in, red and shivering from the cold and the climb.

Harry stood up and walked over to them. "What do you seek?" he asked quietly.

"We seek the ability to become invisible without magic," the twins said.

"I seek the means to avenge Lily and James," Sirius said.

"We seek the ability to fight evil. The ability to protect the innocent," Ron, Hermione, and Ginny said as Harry mentally smiled. They're response seemed the closest to his own.

"To truly become invisible," Harry said to the twins, "you must be patient, and agile. It will take weeks of training to perfect, but I will start you both on the basics now." The twins nodded in agreement.

Turning to Sirius, he said, "I will help you learn to avenge my parents, but be warned. If you let your anger consume you, you will be destroyed."

After Harry received a grim nod from his godfather, he turned to the last three. "For the three of you, it will take more than just speed agility, and control. You will need to master the art of ninjitsu. It will be a long path. One without revenge, sadness, or regret. Do you accept this?" he asked them. He turned to face all of them. "Are you ready to begin?"

"We. . . we can barely stand," said Ron breathlessly.

"Death will not wait for you to be ready!" Harry said, attacking Ron with a swift kick, which brought him to the ground. "It's neither considerate or fair!" he said with another kick that rolled him over into Ginny, effectively knocking her over.

Fred and George charged at Harry, throwing kicks and punches at him, which he easily blocked. "Good," he said to them. "Your anger makes you powerful, but if you let it, much like you are now, it will consume you," he told them quickly bringing them down with a quick sweep to the legs.

Sirius entered the fray with a little shrug, and was surprised to be brought down very quickly. He tried to sweep Harry's feet, only to find they had disappeared. He quickly looked above to see Harry coming down towards him. He got out of the way, and charged once more. "You are skilled, but this is not a dance," Harry said, once again echoing the words of his teacher. Sirius was once again brought down, but this time made no effort to get up.

"And you're afraid," Harry said to Hermione, who had been watching scared from the sidelines, "but not of me. Tell us Hermione, what do you fear."

(-V-)

"What possessed us to train with Harry, oh brother of mine?" Fred asked his twin. The six of them had been training for a week. It was almost time for five of them to head for Hogwarts, but instead of enjoying the end of the summer, they were sitting in Ron's room. Harry, whom they only saw at meal time and during training, was in the library reading the vast collection of books.

"I have not a clue, my dear brother," was Georges reply. They had been training for hours at a time, each as brutal as the last. No one ever got truly injured, but they all got their share of bruises. "At least we've learned something." he said, as he jumped onto the ceiling silently.

"Yeah," Ron said absentmindedly. "I never knew Harry could be so brutal."

"Well, we're lucky," Hermione said. "Harry went through the same training, and didn't get the luxury of your mother's cooking, and a nice warm bed."

"Yeah, but still," Ron argued, "why do you think he was so willing to teach us?"

"I want to get you guys ready to defend yourself," said a voice behind his head. Ron jumped into the air, while everyone else snickered.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Ron gasped, "I wish you'd stop doing that."

"Sorry, Ron," Harry said with a grin on his face.

"Well, what did you mean by that?" Ron said.

Harry sighed as he said, "I would have thought this to be obvious. Voldemort's out there." There was a flinch at the name. "We need a way to protect ourselves if his Death Eaters ever showed up."

As they all nodded, Harry left the room, and headed back to the library.

(-V-)

"What're you doing in here, Cub?" Sirius said as he walked into the library.

"I'm looking for a symbol. Something terrifying. Something to open the people's eyes to the dangers that lie in the world."

"Well, one that comes to mind is-" Sirius tried to say, when they heard a flapping of wings. They looked up to see a large bat flying up by the ceiling. Sirius pointed his wand at it, and it fell to the ground, stunned. "Damned bat, they're nesting somewhere in the house," Sirius said, staring at the bat with distaste.

Harry, however, was staring at the bat with a keen interest. The expression of excitement didn't go unnoticed though. "What are you thinking of doing, Harry?" Sirius asked, worry and curiosity in his voice.

"I'm trying to shake the people from their apathy. I'm becoming a symbol. I'm becoming incorruptible, everlasting."

"You're becoming a vigilante," Sirius said with dawning comprehension.

"No," Harry said, still staring at the bat, "I'm becoming a legend."

(-V-)

As the days passed, the five ninjas in training saw less and less of Harry. They often heard loud bangs they used to associate with Fred and George. Though none of them knew it, he had been building some of the things he would need for his crusade. First he hacked into the government's restricted files, and went into the "Applied Sciences" folder. There he found the blueprints for a discontinued vehicle concept called the Tumbler. He also found a nomex survival suit, Kevlar utility harness, gas powered magnetic grapple gun, and a special fabric called memory cloth.

It took him a few days to sneak out of the house, but he finally managed to do so, and got most of the supplies he needed. Over the rest of the break, he spent most of his time in the room of requirement, building the car, and putting designing his suit. He took the memory cloth and created a cape. He fashioned a cowl from graphite, with a pair of "ears" in which he put an antenna and headphone. A bat symbol was engraved onto the chest of the nomex suit. Harry also made bat shaped throwing stars, and smoke and gas pellets.

The tumbler was painted black. Upon closer examination of the blueprints, he found a rocket engine in the back, and multiple weapon systems.

On the night before the left for Hogwarts, he finally declared to himself, "I'm done."

(-V-)

"Come on man, hurry up," a man said to his partner.

"Hold your horses," he said back, "I just have to get the last box from the back." He got up and walked towards the crate. He opened it up to find twenty or so stuffed rabbits. He grabbed the nearest rabbit, and yanked the head off. Out fell a bag of cocaine. He failed to hear something flutter down from the ceiling until it was too late.

"What's taking him?" the other man muttered to himself. He walked in, and saw his partner laying on the ground unconscious. He bent down to examine him, when he heard something behind him. He turned to see a creature, hanging from the ceiling, staring at him. The creature quickly grabbed him and brought him to the ceiling. "What th-the hell are y-you?" the man asked, terrified of what might happen to him.

"I'm Batman," was the only reply he received before darkness claimed him.

(-V-)

_(A/N: What do you think? Sorry for the wait, but I've been having to balance writing with schoolwork and piano practice, and I usually only write late at night. Please review, tell me what you want me to do with the story, and if anyone wants to, make some fanart (just tell me in the reviews).)_


	4. Mayhem on the Express

**Chapter Three: Mayhem on the Express**

(Disclaimer: See Chapter One)

Harry awoke the next morning to find Ron already dressed, saying, "You'd better get dressed. We've got to get downstairs soon, or mom's gonna throw a fit."

Harry quickly jumped from his bed, slipped on a T-shirt and jeans, and put on his bag. "I've been meaning to ask you," Ron said, staring at the bag, "where's your trunk?"

"In here," Harry said pointing at the bag. "It's magically expanded, so I could stuff a freight train in here."

"Oh," Ron said nodding in understanding. Then they started their trek down the stairs. On the way down, they suddenly heard a loud crash, and then Mrs. Weasly yelling, "YOU IDIOTS! YOU COULD HAVE BROKEN HER NECK!" at the same time as Mrs. Black's portrait started yelling, "FILTHY MUDBLOODS AND BLOOD TRAITORS, POLLUTING THE HOME OF MY FATHERS"

"What do you think just happened?" Harry asked Ron, after the shouts had died down.

"Fred and George just did something extremely stupid," was Ron's automatic answer. As it turned out, he was right. The four Weasly children and Hermione had gotten their wands back when Harry returned, and Fred and George had levitated their trunks down the stairs. The trunks had hit Ginny from behind, and knocked her down the last flight of stairs. Luckily, Ginny hadn't been seriously injured. She was at the kitchen table with an empty goblet with the remains of a pain killer potion inside. Harry and Ron sat down at the table, ate from the plate that Mrs. Weasly gave them. Harry noticed a Daily Prophet sitting on the tale and picked it up. On the cover, in large black letters, were the words _**Mass Brake Out From Azkaban Prison**_Harry quickly glanced at the article, and discovered that twelve high security prisoners had escaped. Soon after, Mrs. Weasly said "We should leave soon. We have to meet with your guard."

"What guard?" Harry asked surprised by this.

"Mad-Eye, Remus, Tonks, and Sturgis," she said quickly. "Well, let's get going . . . Oh for heaven's sake Sirius, you can't come," she said as a large, shaggy black dog came up and sat next to Harry. The dog whimpered, and Mrs. Weasly finally cracked and said, "All right, but on your head. Leave your luggage here. Mad-eye will get it."

Finally, the small procession left the house. Sirius chased some cats and birds for their enjoyment. They continued to a corner, where they met an old woman under a cloak. "Whotcher, Harry," Tonks said, one of the few people Harry had met during his stay at Number 12.

Twenty minutes later, they had reached Kings Cross. They waited until the coast was clear, and headed through the barrier. Once they reached the other side of the barrier, Harry felt as though people were staring at him. This wasn't unusual, but it was different. Instead of everyone eagerly looking to get a glimpse of his scar, he felt as though everyone was staring at him with disdain.

"Nice dog, Harry!" he heard a voice yell to his left. He turned to see fellow Gryffindor Dean Thomas and his mum waving at them. Harry waved back while Sirius wagged his tail vigorously.

"Oh good," said a very relieved Mrs. Weasly, "there's Alastor with the luggage." Indeed, Moody was walking towards them with the large suitcases, and trunks. "Quickly, dears. The train's about to leave!"

As everyone else started to jump onto the train, Harry turned to Sirius and quickly said, "See you later, Padfoot," and quickly hopped onto the train. Once on board, he walked over to the other five he had trained over the summer, and whispered, "If I hear anything about any of you doing amazing tricks, you will answer to me. Got it?" They all shuddered in fear from threat and nodded, before they headed for some compartments.

While Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny walked down the train, looking for a compartment, Harry felt the same loathing and curiosity coming from the nearby compartments. It angered him that the idiot who called himself minister was doing this to Dumbledore and him. Halfway down the last car, they met up with Neville Longbottom, Harry's fellow fifth year Gryffindor.

"Hi, Harry," Neville panted when he noticed them. "How was your summer?"

"Fine," Harry said.

A little further down the corridor, Ginny said, "Here's a compartment. Luna's the only one here." Neville seemed squeamish at the prospect of sharing the compartment, but they all went inside anyway. "Hi Luna," Ginny said to a blond haired girl who was reading a magazine, "Mind if we sit here?"

"Why not at all," Luna said in a very dreamy voice. The six of them then proceeded to put the trunks and the two owl cages, one with Hedwig and the other with Pigwidgeon, into the luggage rack. When they sat down, Harry decided to look at the magazine Luna was reading. What he saw on the cover made a small smile creep onto his lips. **Batman: Hero or Menace?**

"Can I have a look at this?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry," Luna said in the same dreamy voice as she handed him the magazine. Harry flipped the pages open to the article and read:

**Batman: Crusader or Conqueror?**

**Is The Countries Newest Mystery Man A Hero Or A Menace?**

**Last night, three robberies, and twelve Pureblood gangs were apprehended. If you are wondering why we would tell you in this magazine, there were similarities between each. All of the victims claimed that the same thing attacked them. A giant bat. "What could it be?" you ask. Well, the experts here at the Quibbler have reason to believe that it was a masked wizard. Some the evidence to this comes from the mouths of the victims. Mr. Wilbur T. Bradshaw, a member of one of the gangs taken down last night recounted his experience to our reporters: "We were just about to head out, when suddenly, the chandelier came crashing down. We were all scared out of our wits, when a huge bat thing jumped from the ceiling an attacked. I grabbed for my wand when I realized I had dropped it. I quickly bent down to get it when it's knee slammed into my face and knocked me out." When asked to describe the creature, he said "It was horrible. It was black, with two horns, a bat on it's chest and blades on it's arms. There might have been something like a cape on it's back, but I didn't get a good look." Now we wonder, as the creature lurks in the shadows, is it a friend or foe?**

"Anything good in there?" Ron asked.

"Of course not," Hermione said scathingly. "That's the Quibbler. All they ever print in there is rubbish. Besides, who would seriously dress up as a bat and go around saving people?"

"Excuse me," Luna said, her voice losing it's dreamy quality, "my father's the editor."

"Oh! Er. . .," Hermione stuttered.

"I'll have that back now," Luna said icily, snatching the magazine from Harry's hands.

Neville, who had started to feel nervous, decided to break the tension. "Hey guys, look at what my uncle gave me over the summer!" he said as he stood up and reached into his trunk. When he sat back down, he was holding what looked like a small, grey cactus, with the exception that it was covered in boils instead of spines. _"Mimbulus Mimbletonia"_ Neville said proudly holding the plant up for everyone to see.

"Wow, Neville," Hermione said. "These are really rare,"

"I know! Great-uncle Algie got it in Assyria. Let me show you what it can do," Neville said. He hopped up and came back with a quill.

He was about to poke one of the boils when Hermione said, "I don't think you should do that, Neville."

"Why not?" he asked her.

"Do you really want stink sap all over the compartment?"

"Oh," he said as he put the quill down.

Just then, the compartment door opened and none other than Draco Malfoy and his goons came into the compartment. "What?"Harry said gruffly.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll I've you a detention. For I, unlike you am a prefect. And I, unlike you, can give out punishment. If Father had this sort of power, he would have put your bastard of a godfather into Azkaban by now. The dementors would be having such fun eating his soul. ," Malfoy said snidely.

Harry snapped. He jumped from his seat and punched Malfoy right in the jaw. Malfoy smashed straight through the compartment door, and landed in a heap in the hallway. Pushing Crabbe and Goyle out of his way, Harry picked up Malfoy up by the collar of his robes, and smashed him through the open window, where he held him dangling over the quickly passing landscape.

"Oh, God, please! Don't kill me!" Malfoy squealed.

"I'm not going to kill you," Harry said flinging the squealing boy back into the car, "but I'll make you wish I did." With that, Harry smashed his head into Malfoy's, effectively knocking him out. Harry then tossed him down the corridor and went back into the compartment. With a quick Reparo charm, the door and glass fixed themselves. Everyone was still staring at Harry: even the three of whom trained with him, hadn't seen him ever bee this brutal.

"Er, Harry, what was-," Neville began.

Suddenly, the train started to slow, and the tires screeched to a halt. "Why are we slowing down? We can't be there yet," Hermione said in a worried tone.

Suddenly, the lights shorted out, and several loud cracks were heard. Then the door was blasted open once again and twelve cloaked figures came into the compartment. The leading figure pulled their hood off, and Harry saw the glaring face of Bellatrix Lestrange, whom he had seen last year in Dumbledore's Pensieve.

To everyone but Harry's surprise, Neville was the first to act. He jumped from his chair and jumped at Lestrange, and started to attempt to punch her. His efforts were in vain, as Bellatrix quickly conjured ropes and tied him up. She then turned her gaze to Harry.

"You!" she screamed at him. "You maimed my nephew! I'll kill you!" She aimed her wand at him.

"No, Bellatrix!" one of the Death Eaters yelled at her, but, it was too late. A blasting hex hit Harry in the chest, and threw him through the wall and out of the car.

(-V-)

Harry woke up a couple of minutes later. He opened his eyes and stared up at the sky. He turned his head and saw the train still sitting up on the bridge. Sitting up, he gave himself a quick check for injuries, and found that there were only small cuts and bruises. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out multiple objects, and enlarged them. They quickly grew into his armor and the Tumbler.

He silently put on the armor, and aimed his grapple gun at the train and fired. The shot latched onto the side, and he rose to the bottom of the train. Listening hard, he heard, directly above him, Bellatrix saying, "Potter is not dead. Let us kill his little mudblood friend, to start destroying his will to live."

Having heard enough, Batman smashed his hand through the floor of the car and grabbed her leg, and said, "Welcome to Hell," pulling her down.

She screamed until he smashed her head into the tracks. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters fired Killing curses through the hole, each of them missing. Batman hung Bellatrix under the train and headed for the windows. Hanging under the one Malfoy had smashed through earlier, he risked a glance through. He saw the Death Eaters standing around the hole, whispering conversation. He took some of his bat shaped shuriken, and threw them at the Death Eaters arms. Each started howling in pain as the shuriken sunk into their flesh. Batman jumped onto the closest Death Eater, and quickly subdued him with a few punches and kicks. He went to attack the next death eater, but was forced to duck when the Death Eater swung a knife at him. Still in the crouched position, he swung his legs, knocking two to the floor. He jumped into the air, and swung his legs knocking the rest of them into unconsciousness.

Batman turned to look at his friends, who were staring at him in shock. He glared at them, before jumping down the hole, and grabbing Bellatrix. He pulled himself back up, leaving the grapple gun's wire attached to her foot. He fastened the wire like a pulley over the hole, snapped her wand, and blindfolded the Death Eater. Batman then cast an Eneverate charm.

Bellatrix awoke, and Batman immediately grabbed her hair and yanked. "Why did you attack the train?" he growled at her.

"You'll get nothing from me," Lestrange sneered. "I will not betray my master. You could join him, though. He could give you great power."

"I don't think you understand the situation. You're in no position to negotiate. Let me show you," Batman growled, as he ripped off the blindfold. When she saw the distance to the ground, she screamed, and Batman let the cable drop. She started to quickly fall towards the Earth. Batman only stopped her, when she was about to hit the ground, and pulled her up again, grabbing a chunk of hair when she came back.

"We were told to bring Potter to our master," she whimpered when she was back up to their level.

"Why?" Batman urged.

"There is a prophesy," she said, "in the Department of Mysteries. He needs Potter to get it. I swear to God that's all I know."

"Swear to me!" he growled dropping her once again. When he brought her up, he punched her in the head, knocking her out cold. He dumped her in the corner of the room, and walked to the hole in the side of the car.

"Wait!" Ginny said, staring at him. "Who are you?" she asked.

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me," he said in a softer tone, and jumped out the hole. Ginny ran to the hole to see what had happened to him, only to see him gliding down towards the bottom of the bridge. Batman opened the cockpit of the Tumbler, and turned the urban assault vehicle on. The engine roared into life, as he sped along the railroad tracks towards Hogwarts.

Towards home.

(-V-)

_(A/N: How was it? I've been reading Frank Miller's __The Dark Knight Returns__. It's a really good book, and a must read for any Batman fan. If you've read the book, you might find a couple things in here from the book. Also, I would like to say that the idea about the train being attacked was taken from Dr. G. W Midnight's __Harry Potter, The Dark Knight: The Ascension__. Please review, and could someone make some fanart? I would greatly appreciate it.)_


	5. Return to Hogwarts

**Return to Hogwarts**

(Disclaimer: See Chapter One)

Harry had been driving for a few hours, when he finally got his first glimpse of Hogwarts. He smiled with content as he drove towards the mountains on the edge of Hogsmede, to the cave in which Sirius had hidden the previous year.

Parking the car, Harry leaped out, and took a look around the cave. _'I could find a use for this place,' _he thought to himself. Turning towards the entrance of the cave, Harry ran to the edge of the cliff, and jumped.

Spreading his arms out wide, he sent an electric current through the fabric. The cape immediately hardened into a sturdy glider. Harry turned himself, and began the flight to Hogwarts.

(-V-)

Soon, Harry saw the huge windows of the Great Hall. Cutting off the current, gracefully landed on the roof of a nearby tower. Pulling out a small piece of parchment, Harry scribbled a quick note, and attached it to one of his shuriken. Looking straight at Dumbledore, who was standing on his podium, Harry threw the sharp metal projectile, a small smirk on his face.

(-V-)

Inside the Great Hall, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville were getting anxious. They kept subconsciously glancing at the door, waiting for Harry to arrive. But their hope was beginning to fade as Dumbledore walked to the podium.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard as the window was smashed, and Dumbledore's hat was thrown from his head. Almost instantly, the Hall descended into chaos. People began to scream and try to get out of the hall any way possible.

Dumbledore, who had recovered from the momentary shock, set his face into a hard glare as he bellowed, "SILENCE!"

The Hall immediately became deathly quiet. Dumbledore walked over to his fallen hat, and drew a small, bat shaped object from within it. Seeing a small note, Dumbledore unraveled the string and opened the small piece of parchment.

"I have urgent business to attend to," he announced as he began to make his way out. "Professor McGonagall, please continue the ceremonies without me."

McGonagall gave a curt nod in the direction of Dumbledore's retreating back, and began to sort the young students. Ginny just kept staring at the place where the window had broken.

'_What the hell just happened?' _she thought to herself.

(-V-)

The Portraits of Hogwarts were abuzz with chatter as Professor Dumbledore made is way through the halls of the school. Walking quickly, Dumbledore soon reached his destination: the Astronomy tower.

Dumbledore stood still, stared out at the dark grounds, before saying seemingly to himself, "Would you mind coming out, Harry?"

A huge black shape moved from behind him, stepping into the light.

"How did they get on the train?" Batman asked immediately.

"At the moment, we don't know. I believe that Voldemort took out the train's magical defenses, allowing the Death Eaters to apparate aboard."

"Was there anyone hurt?"

"No, don't worry Harry. You were the only person hurt severely. A few people were knocked unconscious, though."

"Were the Death Eaters brought into custody?"

"Yes, but the Ministry released the ones who weren't part of the Azkaban break out, withdrawing all charges, stating they were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Dammit!" Batman snarled. "We can't let the Ministry get their hands on our prisoners, from now on."

"You're right, but where would we keep them?" Dumbledore asked wryly.

Stopping for a moment, Batman contemplated the possible choices. The new cave he had found? No, it wasn't secure enough yet. In the school dungeons? No, some Death Eater spawn could free them. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"Isn't the second most secure place in Europe Gringotts Bank?"

"Yes, but wha-." Suddenly, Dumbledore's confused look changed to a shocked one. "You can't seriously be planning to-,"

"Think about it. Where else could we put them?" After hearing no response from his headmaster, Harry continued, "Azkaban's under Ministry control, Hogwarts is full of students, and my new base is nowhere near ready yet."

Dumbledore sighed in resignation. "Alright, Harry, I'll go along with this. Will this be a permanent arrangement, or are you going to find a better place?"

"Unless the Minister resigns and is replaced with someone better, this will be a permanent arrangement for everyone but those to be interrogated," Batman said. "Now, if you'll give me a second, I'm going to change out of this suit. I'm heading to the Hospital Wing, so we can use the cover that you left me there." With that, Batman walked into one of the darkest corners of the tower and began to strip the suit off.

"I will walk with you, so it will look more convincing," Dumbledore said, after Harry was finished. Soon, the two of them began the trek to the Hospital Wing.

(-V-)

"How you manage to get hurt like this, I'll never know."

Harry was in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfery was bustling around and muttering to herself as she tended to his cuts and bruises.

"You'll be able to head down to the feast when I'm done, so be patient for a few more minutes," after the umpteenth 'How much longer?'.

Harry sighed and sat back on the bed. _'It's ironic,'_ he thought to himself, _'that I hate the Hospital Wing, but I always seem to be in this damn place more than almost all of the other students.'_

Before he knew it, he was heading down the corridors to the Great Hall, his robes billowing in a fashion that would make even Snape proud. He entered the hall as Dumbledore just finished his pre-meal speech. Walking between the tables, Harry felt the eyes of most of the students on his back. Forcing himself to remain calm, Harry sat down next to Ron and Hermione, trembling ever so slightly.

Harry turned to his friends, who were all staring at him expectantly, and muttered, "I'll tell you later." After his friends nodded in agreement, Harry began to dig into the delicious food the house elves had prepared.

Soon, however, Harry was aware of someone staring at him from the Staff Table. Turning, Harry's eyes locked with the strangest looking woman he had ever seen. She was wearing a grey set of robes, and a pink bow. She had wide eyes, and the skin on her face looked as though it was sliding off of her skull. From back here, Harry decided she looked similar to a toad.

Turning to Hermione, Harry asked, "Who's the new teacher?"

"Professor Umbridge. Undersecretary to the Minister. Umbridge will be teaching Defense," Hermione explained.

"You should have heard her, Harry," Ron said in disgust. "She was going on about falling standards at Hogwarts, and that the Ministry will be taking an active hand in 'fixing' it."

"Hmm . . . " Harry filed away the name Umbridge for later research.

(-V-)

All too soon, Harry found himself climbing the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. Crawling through the portrait hole, Harry was greeted by the comfy chairs and open space he had known for four years.

Seeing Dean and Seamus talking in front of the fire place, Harry walked over and greeted, "Hey, Dean, Seamus. How were your summers?"

"Mine was pretty good," Dean said with a smile at Harry. "Better than Seamus'. He's just telling me."

The boy in question was doing his best not to come into eye contact with Harry, a deep scowl on his face.

"Me mam didn't want me to come back."

"What?" Ron, who had come in behind Harry, asked in shock.

"I said she didn't want me to come bak to Hogwarts," Seamus said forcefully, still avoiding Harry's eye.

"But, why?" Ron asked, still in shock from the fact that a parent would want their child not to come back to Hogwarts.

"Isn't it obvious, Ron?" Harry asked, a note of sadness in his voice. "His mum has been reading the stuff about me and Dumbledore in the Prophet, and believes it."

"That's about it," Seamus said, finally bringing his eyes upon Harry.

"Well, I guess I should respect her opinion of me. I'm going to bed," Harry said as he began to make his way up the stairs, his shoulders sagged. He hadn't realized that even the people whom he had met, or associated with had begun to distrust him too.

"Wait, Harry!" Seamus yelled.

Turning to face him, Harry replied, "Yes?"

"What really happened that night? We only saw you disappear, then reappear with Cedric's body." Seamus said nervously, but with an eager note in his voice.

Harry sighed. "I'm not . . . comfortable with that topic yet. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." With that, Harry went up the spiral staircase to the boy's dormitories.

Jumping into bed, Harry closed his eyes and silently began to meditate.

(-V-)

When the last of Harry's dorm mates had fallen asleep, he quietly snuck out of the room. Quietly making his way to the Astronomy tower, Harry slipped on his suit. Reaching his destination, Harry stood on the wall, and jumped.

Spreading his arms, he once again hardened his cape into wings, and began the journey to the cave.

Harry enjoyed the feeling of flying. It was different than when he flew on a broomstick or magical creature. While it was easy to ride, a broomstick gave him a feeling of constraint as he flew. The opposite was true with a magical creature; when he flew on Buckbeak, though he had little control, he felt free and unrestrained.

Here, however, he felt alive. It was pure bliss. He was able to control his movements exactly, and was completely unrestrained. He felt as though he could fly for hours.

All too soon, Harry saw the opening of the cave. Letting out a disappointed sigh, Harry lowered himself towards the cave.

Landing quickly, he began to scan the cave. It was fairly large, with enough room to store most of his equipment. Walking further into the cave, Harry was pleased to find a large population of bats.

"Well, at least I'll have company," he muttered wryly to himself.

And with that, he began to clear up the cave.

(-V-)

"Oi, Harry!" a voice next to him yelled, "Time to wake up! You're gonna miss breakfast!"

Harry groaned as he pushed the curtains away from the bed, allowing the light to stream onto his face. He had been in the cave for hours cleaning it out enough to be his base of operations for the school year.

Forcing himself out of his warm bed, Harry quickly got dressed and headed towards the Great Hall.

On his way out, he met up with Hermione and Ron. As the dubbed "Golden Trio" made their way through the corridors, Harry couldn't help but feel that people were staring at him. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to be calm and just continued to walk.

When they finally reached the Great Hall, the three friends sat near Neville, Fred, George, and Lee.

Harry immediately began to grab some food, and began to eat. Ron had also started to eat, but unlike Harry and Hermione, who had grabbed a normal amount of food and were eating it in a civil manner, Ron had taken an ungodly amount of food, and was devouring like a pig.

Hermione, who was staring at him in disgust, said angrily, "Would you use some manners?"

Gulping down the food in his mouth, Ron mock glared at Hermione. "Yes, _Mum_."

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Harry turned to see Professor McGonagall moving down the table, passing out the schedules to the Gryffindors. When she reached Harry, she stopped, and said, "Mr. Potter, report to my office after dinner," before she handed him his schedule.

Looking at his schedule, Harry frowned when he saw whom he had; History of Magic with Binns, Potions with Snape, Divination with Trelawney, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with Umbridge. _'What a fantastic schedule,'_ Harry thought to himself sarcastically. _'Well, at least I'll get one period of rest.'_

(-V-)

As Harry predicted, History of Magic was the same as always, so he was able to catch a few minutes of sleep. When he woke up, he was pleased to find that there were only a few minutes left in class, so he wouldn't have to listen to more pointless talks about the goblin rebellions. In truth, he found the subject extremely interesting, and had studied it by himself during his stay at Grimmauld Place, but it seemed that Binns had the ability to make anything sound extremely boring.

When class finally ended, Harry, Ron and Hermione headed towards the dungeons. Getting into the line outside of Snape's door, Harry couldn't help but notice Malfoy and his goons doing their best to stay away from him, which made him smile.

Suddenly, the door swung open, allowing the students to file in. Taking their usual seats in the back of the class, the three Gryffindors waited for the class to begin.

"Settle down," came a snide voice at the front of the class. Turning his head, Harry's eyes were met with the site of Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts, standing in the front of the classroom, his eyes glaring out over the students.

"Before the lesson begins, I should remind you that, in June, you will be taking part in an important exam, during which you will prove how much you have learned in this class. As moronic as most of you are, I expect nothing less than an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my . . . displeasure.

"Today we will be creating a potion that is extremely common in the O.W.L. exams: the Drought of Peace. A potion created to calm anxiety and sooth agitation. The directions are on the board. You have an hour and a half. Begin."

Harry and the others quickly got to work. Forcing himself to concentrate, Harry read and reread the directions as he toiled away at the potion.

The minutes quickly passed, as Harry continued to work on the potion. Before he knew it, there were only ten minutes left in class.

"There should be a light silver vapor rising from your potion," Snape announced to the class.

Looking at his potion, Harry sighed with relief, as he stared at the light silver mist rising out of his cauldron. Snape, who was doing his customary check on the students, looked at the potion. His eyes flashed for a quick second, before he moved away without comment, meaning he couldn't find anything to criticize.

Harry was relieved. Snape _never_ passed him by without making a snide comment.

Snape, however, seemed to decide to take out his frustration on his second favorite target: Neville.

"Longbottom. What is this?"

Poor Neville looked as though he was going to pass out of fright.

"Th-the drought of p-peace, Sir," he managed to stutter out.

"Tell me, can you read?" Snape asked softly, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Y-yes."

"Is that so? Then why don't you read the third line, Longbottom."

Squinting his eyes, Neville read in a quiet voice that Harry barely heard, "'Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, then add syrup of hellebore.'"

Neville's face lost almost all of it's color. An expression of pure terror was on his face.

"Did you do everything on the third line?"

"N-no, Sir," Neville said, his voice even shakier than before, "I stirred it c-clockwise, and forgot the h-hellebore." Neville's face was almost chalk white.

"I know you did, Longbottom," Snape said, smirking. "Your concoction is completely useless. _Evanesco_." The contents of Neville's cauldron disappeared. "Those of you who _did _manage to follow the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it with your name, and place it on my desk for testing. Homework, twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and it's uses in potion making, due Thursday."

Quickly getting a sample, Harry placed it on the desk of his least favorite teacher, and headed back to his place to collect his things.

Passing Neville, Harry quickly asked, "Are you alright?"

Neville shuddered. "I'll be fine," he replied.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said consoled. "We all know that he's never been fair to us Gryffindors."

Neville gave his a small smile, before grabbing his things and getting ready for his next class.

Grabbing his things, Harry was glad when the bel rang, and quickly headed for the Great Hall. It was lunch, and he was hungry.

(-V-)

Harry let out an exasperated sigh. He had been forced to listen to Hermione and Ron arguing with each other for almost the entire lunch. After about ten minutes, he had finally and asked them to shut up so he could eat in peace.

It was funny. He could tell the two of them had feelings for each other, but they were both so stubborn they wouldn't listen to each other. This led to the many arguments, and Harry was wishing they would just admit they liked each other, if only for a little quiet.

He and Ron had bid farewell to Hermione, as they had Divination, and she had Arithmancy.

Walking through the corridors that led to North Tower, Harry grimaced ever so slightly as they passed the portrait of Sir Cadogan, and he and Ron quickened their pace to get away from the deranged knight. To his credit, the portrait was able to keep up with them for quite a while before his armor became too heavy and he had to stop.

Arriving at their destination, Harry and Ron quickly climbed up the ladder that led to the Divination classroom.

Harry cringed slightly as he and Ron entered the obnoxiously perfumed room. It looked exactly as Harry remembered, down to the last teacup.

"Good day," came the dreamy voice of Professor Trelawney as she appeared in front of the class. "I welcome all of you back to Divination. I have been paying close attention to your fortunes this summer, and I am ecstatic that each and every one of you has returned safely, as I knew you would.

"On the tables before you are copies of _The Dream Oracle_. It shall be your guide, as this semester, you shall be interpreting your dreams. Please open them to the introduction and read what the author has to say. When you are finished, please divide into pairs, and interpret your recent dreams."

It took Harry and Ron nearly the whole period to read the introduction. Quickly looking at his watch, Harry realized they only had ten minutes for dream interpretation.

Harry listened as Ron tried to describe one of the few dreams he remembered to pass the time. He was not ready to reveal the contents of his dreams, as they were always filled with pain, and were, in his opinion, extremely private.

When class finally got out, Harry silently thanked the lord, as he headed out of the tower. As he and Ron headed down the corridor, Ron gave him a confused look.

"Harry, where's your bag?"

Looking down, Harry paled ever so slightly as he realized he had left his bag back in Trelawney's classroom.

"Could you wait a moment? I need to go back and get it," Harry asked his friend.

The red head nodded. "Allright, just hurry back. I don't want a late notice on my first day."

Harry nodded before he turned and headed back to North Tower. Luckily for him, he hadn't gotten very far before Ron noticed his missing item. Climbing back up the ladder, he quickly looked around the room, and found his bag.

Just as he was turning to leave, he heard movement behind him. Turning around quickly, he came face to face with Professor Trelawney. She stood, shuddering slightly, as she began to speak. But it was not in the light, dreamy tones he was used to. The sounds coming from her mouth were harsh and hoarse. Harry had heard her speak this way once before, two years ago.

"_All shall fall into place . . . The Dark Lord shall rise once again at the sixth month's peak . . . A knight of the darkness shall come to protect with power known not to the Dark Lord . . . His servant most loyal shall flee to the other . . . and either shall die at the hand of the other, as neither can live while the other survives . . ."_

Suddenly, she shook herself, as she broke from her trance. Seeing Harry, she said, "So sorry, dear boy, I must have dozed off. Did you need something?"

Shaking his head quickly, he replied, "I just needed my bag. Good day, Professor," before rushing out of the classroom.

As he headed down the stairs, only one thought crossed his mind. _'What the hell did it mean?'_

(-V-)

_(A/N: How was it? I'm not completely happy with it, but I've been working on this for so long I've just been trying to get this out of the way. Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been busy this past school year. I've also been extremely short on ideas. Please review, and when you do, could you lend me some ideas? Any ideas and suggestions will help and speed up the updates. I'll hopefully have the first chapter to my Evangelion/Hellsing crossover, as well as the first chapter of my James Bond/Evangelion crossover out soon. Take luck, Enterprise-A.)_


	6. REBOOT!

**HEY EVERYBODY! :D Sorry about the long wait, but I finally got around to writing again! Trouble is… Yeah, I couldn't stand any of these anymore… Well, because all of you enjoyed this story so much, I decided to do something as a side project for you **** I'm rewriting the entire story for you! It's up as a new story in my profile, so you can refavorite/follow there, but updates will be VERY sparse, weeks to months inbetween. Thank you for being faithful, or at least putting up with my terrible writing. I hope you enjoy this reboot. Peace, y'all!**

The Dark Knight Rises

(Disclaimer: Batman is owned by DC Comics, and Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling.)

In the town of Little Whinging, the world was at a standstill. The many lights and sounds of day were away, allowing a cold, gripping darkness to take its hold on the little town. The populace of the town, tired from the hot summer days that had plagued them for weeks, was all fast asleep in their beds.

Everyone, that is, but one solitary person. A young boy, no older than 15, was still wide awake. He was coated in sweat, shaking in fear from the terrible nightmare he had just had to endure. For weeks now he had had the same dream, always being filled with sorrow and guilt as he woke from his troubled slumber.

It was here, once again terrified of sleep once more, that Harry Potter made a decision. He had waited diligently for weeks now, hoping and praying for word, a notice, even a sign that his friends would come for him. Hell, even Snape coming to whisk him away from his prison would have been a welcome sight. However, after two months of absolutely no contact from any person outside his home magical or not, he was through waiting.

He moved as quietly as he could, packing the possessions that he decided he would need for his travels. Knowing full well that most of his possessions would be left here, and therefore destroyed, Harry packed as efficiently as he could.

A soft hoot sounded from behind him, and Harry slowly made his way over to the cage in his bedroom.

"I know you want to come, Hedwig," sighed Harry. "I just don't want to lose you, okay? You were my first real friend. I want to make sure you're safe, at least. You can make your way to Ron's, right?"

Hedwig hooted indignantly, puffing out her chest feathers as if to say, "Did you really just ask a delivery owl that?"

Harry gave a small chuckle as he attached a letter to her leg. The letter, addressed to Ron and Hermione, was simply his way of telling them not to worry about him. Knowing full well that they would come after him if they could, Harry said nothing of what he was doing or of where he planned to do. The only thing he put in the letter was that he would see them soon, and he would keep himself safe.

Opening the window, Harry gave Hedwig one final stroke of her feathers, and sent her on her way. He watched sadly as she flew into the distance, growing smaller as the seconds went by until she was nothing but a spec in the distance.

A couple of hours later, Harry stood outside of his "home", making his way through the quiet streets. As he walked, he allowed himself to open his senses, enjoying the peace and quiet for the first time in months. The solitude of the night felt right to him, even through the pain of missing his friends and the guilt of Cedric's death.

Snapping himself out of his daze, Harry realized he had reached the park where he had first met Sirius. Smiling softly as he relived the memory, a thought occurred to him. Raising his wand, Harry waited for a few moments before a large triple level bus appeared before him with a bang.

Out the door of the putridly colored bus stepped a pimply young man.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emerg-." The man paused when he saw his potential passenger. "Oh! 'ello, 'Arry! What 'choo doin' 'ere? 'Ave anywhere ya wanna go?"

"Don't mind me, Stan," Harry said with a smile as he boarded. "I'm figuring it out."

Stepping onto the bus, Harry quickly found himself a bed in the back. Soon enough, the bus shot away into the darkness with yet another bang, disappearing into the night.

To Be Continued. . .

_A/N: Guess who? :D I've been getting the itch to write something again, and I decided to reread my old stories for once. Dear GOD X_X They're terrible. Well, I decided to go back and rewrite every story I have here, starting with this one, as it's my most popular (slowly, mind you, maybe weeks or months between updates). Thanks to those who had faith I'd come back, and while it isn't a full return, it's a start __ Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rewrites ^^ Peace!_


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